A Story below the Stars
by Koopa Commander Gregory
Summary: When the Mushroom Kingdom is in danger, and the Koopa Clan isn't responsible..the Koopa Clan helps! Is this the same Mushroom Kingdom?
1. Fond Memories

"Chris, have you ever wondered where the stars get their power?" Gregory asked, looking up at the night sky.

"No...I've never thought of it...I just assumed that they got their power from our prayers...but then we are said to get our power from the stars," Chris replied, scratching his belly.

"Well that's weird. We give them power just to get it back?" the boy continued, sitting up and taking a deep breath.

"Hm...I guess we do."

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Gregory's eyes opened, and he turned in his bed to look out his window, and into the sky. He thought about the night that he and his friend pondered the many mysteries of the stars that hung above the land. Then the boy began to wonder why they he had even begun to think of such things; it was such a trivial subject.

However, if it was trivial, then why was he still thinking of it? It was a memory of Chris, one of the good times, he answered himself, though this was only half the truth. He did miss his best friend, but secretly, he wished that he could know everything about the stars.

"May the stars help us keep the peace, that finally blankets this land," Gregory wished, before closing his eyes again and returning to sleep.

Sunlight leaked into Gregory's window, and it wasn't long before it pierced through his eyelids, waking him up. He yawned very loudly, and stretched his body in many humorous ways until he was finally ready to get out of bed. It wasn't long before he was running down the spiral stairs, wondering what was for breakfeast this morning.

"Hey Pops!" he yelled as he called as he neared the bottom of the stairs. "What's for breakfast?" he asked as he entered the large dining room, to see Bowser and a few Koopa soldiers in the room.

"Food!" Bowser grunted, laughing mischeviously. Gregory chuckled at him, and then looked up to see (Bowser) Junior comming down from his room, and waved to the little prince.

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Author Notes!

Ok, I'm leaving that other story, and starting this one.

Don't start flaming me when you find that Bowser has finally made peace with the Mario Brothers in this story.

Just deal with it!

Bowser: grumble Gwa. Why did I promise you that I'd make peace with them?

Because, you have an entire fricken' castle, and a family that respects you. You don't REALLY need the Mushroom Kingdom. Besides, the Stars always give Mario an edge because his intentions are good. There's no use in fighting him over and over just for the same result.

Bowser: Hmph...


	2. Food for Breakfast

Gregory was quite happy with having food for breakfast. Turned out that the food was bacon, eggs, and toast, and not far from him was an extra large glass of milk. The dining room was enormous, it had to be for all of the Koopa Clan to fit in it, and in the center was the table that Bowser and the rest of the elite soldiers sat, surrounded by everyone else. To Bowser's side were Gregory, and Junior, and all three of them were eating like a bunch of animals, and having a good time of it. The chatter and all that was going on was always noisy, but you got used to it sooner or later, or you left the room, your choice.

"I think I'll go see what Mario and Luigi are up to," Gregory said, somewhat akwardly, "and then I'm going to the jungle to visit Scarlet."

Bowser grunted a little and gave a slight scowl when Gregory mentioned the Mario Brothers, he was still getting used to the fact that Gregory had pointed out. It was a waste of energy and supplies to try and defeat them over and over, when their good intentions were rewarded with extra powers given to them by the Stars. So eventually, Bowser promised Gregory that he'd leave them alone from now on, for the sake of themselves and the soldiers of the Clan.

"Oooh, Brother has a girlfriend!" Junior teased, as Gregory gave him a light punch on the shoulder, and crossing his arms.

"She is not, we're just friends," he insisted, turning his head away and drinking some more milk. Junior just continued to laugh and eat. Across the table, Kammy Koopa, Bowser's right hand Magikoopa, was nibbling on a light salad and orange juice, and a few Koopatrols near by had just finished their plates, and began to take them into the kitchen to rinse them off. It wasn't long before Gregory finished as well, and he pushed his chair back and stood up to go take his plates into the large kitchen.

"Anyway, I just wanted to know if I could take the Koopa Clown Car?" Gregory finally asked Bowser, standing over the table with his hand resting on the wooden surface. Bowser grinned a little bit, and finished his food as well.

"Hmph, alright, but you better bring it back in one piece! Or you can clean the entire bottom floor for a week!" Bowser laughed, tossing Gregory a key to get into the chamber where all the vehicles/weapons were held. Gregory scoffed and waved a hand dismissively, Bowser knew that Gregory had figured out how to drive that thing faster than him. The boy made his way to the chamber, waving to and greeting Koopa soldiers that he would pass along the way. He stopped infront of a barred wall and glanced in to see his favorite Chain Chop barking at him happily. It was golden with a golden chain as well, and it was about three times the size of a regular Chain Chop. It could have easily torn down the wall if it really wanted to. Gregory reached into his pocket and threw a handful of bacon that he had snuck out of a kitchen at his Chain Chop, and it scarfed it down without even chewing.

"Ha ha, I'll be back later Pipsqueak," Gregory said before continuing on his way to the chamber.

A large stone door on the roof of the castle opened up, and Gregory flew out with the Koopa Clown Car, he had his staff with him, but he left his armor in his room for this little trip. He was in his usual green shirt, and pitch black denim shorts. His blonde hair(which had orange streaks in it) was blowing in the wind as he picked up speed, heading towards Princess Toadstool's castle. But he couldn't even begin to imagine what he was about to see there...

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Author's Notes!!!!

So now I'm going to visit the Mario Bros at Peach's castle, but what horrors will I find there?

Junior: HA HA, what do you care, you just want to go to the Jungle so you can see your GIRLFRIEND.

Raah! -punches Junior lightly in the head-... --' She's not my girlfriend you little runt.

Junior: -sticks tongue out- Ppppppt, yeah right.

You should keep your tongue in your mouth, you might lose it. -menacing grin-

Bowser: Alright Boys! Enough of that!

Junior and I: Yeah Dad...hmph

Bowser: What have those puny Mario Brothers gotten themselves in this time? And how fast will Luigi runs when something scares him? Find out in the next chapter! Or I'll set all of your rears on fire! RAAWWR.


	3. The Super Sick Bros

It wasn't long before the castle crawled above the horizon. It was still early in the morning, but there was still a good chance that Mario and Luigi were there to visit. Gregory prepared to land the Koopa Clown Car on the lush, emerald carpet of grass. He was happy to see that the Toads and other residents of the castle were already awake this time.

Gregory strolled over to the double doors and gave them a few knocks, and it wasn't long before one of the Toads came to welcome him in. He greeted the Toad and continued his walk through the threshold, before spotting Princess Toadstool carrying a tray of bowls towards the guest rooms. The contents of the bowls were, quite obviously, hot, the boy determined once he saw the steam ascend from them.

"Princess," called Gregory to get her attention. The young girl twirled her head to see him, and smiled.

"Oh Gregory, thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed with relief, pausing mid-step to speak with him.

"Why, is something wrong, Peach?" the young commander asked while heading in her direction to help her with the door.

"Oh…I'm afraid that Mario and Luigi have fallen ill just recently," she stated poignantly, while walking through the door, followed by Gregory. He followed closely so that he could get the other door.

"They have? Is it serious?" he asked, after opening the door to a dimly lit room, following Peach inside. Mario and Luigi lounged limply on two beds that were positioned close to the window. Their hats hung above their heads on wooden hooks attached to the wall. The Princess placed the tray of what Gregory discovered to be soup, down onto a nightstand that rested in between the two beds.

"No, it's just the flu," she answered. Peach then placed her hands on Mario and Luigi's chests, stroking them gently to wake them up. Mario was the first to stir, his eyes slowly opening to reveal that they were a bit on the glassy side. The Super Star of the Mushroom Kingdom was clearly miserable, and the same could be said about his younger brother, as Luigi roused as well, his eyes showing the same condition as Mario's.

"Mario, Luigi, Gregory has come to see you," Peach explained softly as the two brothers slowly began to regain their focus. They waved feebly at Gregory to greet them, and he returned the gesture.

"Well, I was going to ask if you two wanted to muddle around…but you're in no condition for the sort of thing," Gregory explained with disappointment weighing down his words. Mario and Luigi nodded diminutively, the two of them were in no way excited about being quarantined either. Peach handed the two plumbers their bowls, and they drank from its contents in miniscule sips. Gregory felt uncomfortable in the crowded space, and decided to leave them to their recuperation. However, when he turned to leave, the Princess caught him gently by the arm.

"Gregory…I'm so sorry to ask this of you, but Mario and Luigi usually help out around the castle in the mornings…and well…with the Toads all stuck with their own jobs, there are small errands that need to be done…do you think that you could maybe give me a hand?" implored Peach hopefully.

"It won't take too long," she added with assurance in her voice, before Gregory could answer.

"Of course, it couldn't be that hard," he responded optimistically, while a relieved smile crawled onto Peach's face. The two left Mario and Luigi with their soup, Peach explaining to Gregory what would be on the to-do list.

Little did he know…the errands required to efficiently run an entire castle, can indeed be _very _hard.


End file.
